Dr. Skamene earned his M.D. in 1964 from Charles University in Prague and completed a Ph.D. program in Experimental Biology and Genetics at the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in 1968, then pursued a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Immunogenetics at the Harvard Medical School. In 1970, he was recruited to McGill University, where he completed his clinical training in Medicine and Clinical Immunology and Allergy and where he now holds the position of Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Human Genetics.

Dr. Skamene’s major contribution to the field of infection and immunity has been the identification of genes controlling susceptibility to infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, leprosy and malaria. Dr. Skamene’s research models have been applied the world over to the study of many infections, as well as to other major diseases with a genetic component.

Dr. Skamene’s many scientific awards include the Bourse de mérite exceptionnel from the Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec (1986), the Alexandre-Besredka Prize from the French-German Society for Immunology (1990), and the Distinguished Scientist (Cinader) Award (1991) from the Canadian Society for Immunology. In 1992, he was awarded the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Prize by the Canada Council and in 1994, received the Léo-Pariseau Prize from the Association canadienne-française pour l’avancement des sciences (Acfas). In 1997, Dr. Skamene became an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 2000, he received the G. Mendel Award of the Czech Academy of Sciences. In 2001 he was awarded the Prix du Québec for his research discoveries in immunogenetics and for his significant contribution to the development of medical research institutions in Québec. In 2005, he was inducted to the “Order National du Québec”. He was also inducted to the Czech Learned Society of the Academy of Sciences, the highest honor awarded to a Czech scientist in the Czech Republic. In 2006, he received the highest American recognition for a physician, the title of the Master of American College of Physicians.

Dr. Skamene is also the Founder (1988) of The McGill Centre for the Study of Host Resistance and a Founder (1997) of Emerillon Therapeutics Inc., a gene-discovery biotechnology spin-off of the Montreal General Hospital Research Institute and McGill University. The intellectual property portfolio of this company includes genetically-validated drug targets for tuberculosis, asthma, dyslipidemia, pain, epilepsy and anemia of chronic disease. He held the position of Scientific Director of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Research Institute from 1999 until 2006. Dr. Skamene is the Director of the Federation of Clinical Immunological Societies Centre of Excellence at the McGill University Health Centre. In 2004, Dr. Skamene served as the President of the International Congress of Immunology, held in Montreal, and will serve as the President of the International Congress of Human Genetics to be held in 2011.

World Voice Day is a global celebration to raise the public awareness that voice matters. This is the FIRST WVD celebration in Montreal and Quebec to join the world for this big occasion. Read more ► […]

The Society of Rural Physicians of Canada's Rural and Remote Medicine Conference has become one of the largest rural medical conferences, attracting over 950 delegates last year from all over Canada as well as some international attendees. Read more ► […]

A new study led by researchers in the labs of Terry Hébert and Stéphane Laporte at McGill University in Montreal, challenges our notion of what certain drugs do by examining the interactions between drugs targeting two different receptor molecules in vascular smooth muscle - both of which are important in the control of blood pressure and the development of […]

Tuberculosis continues to be a significant public health concern in Canada's North, where testing for TB takes far longer than in the country's major centres. A paper just published by Ottawa and tuberculosisMontreal researchers, in CHEST Journal, shows that the wait times before treating this infectious disease in Nunavut can be dramatically reduc […]

jooay is an app, developed by McGill's School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, that helps children with disabilities and their families to locate leisure opportunities that are: Accessible, suit their needs and abilities, match their preferences, can help them develop and participate in society. Read more ► […]

Second-year McGill medical student, Claudie Dandurand Bolduc has been elected as the next President of the Regroupement étudiant de l’Association Médicale du Québec, which in turn makes her a voting board member of the Quebec Medical Association (QMA). Congratulations Claudie! Read more ► […]

Each year on March 24, the world observes World TB Day. TB is one of the world's top health challenges with 9 million new TB cases and the deaths of nearly 1.5 million people each year. World TB Day is an occasion to mobilize political and social commitment for further progress towards eliminating TB as a public health problem. Read more ► […]